We have been hearing a number of rumors about Samsung's artificial intelligence assistant which will launch with the Galaxy S8, we previously heard it would be called Bixby. Now it would appear that Samsung has confirmed the Bixby name as it was recently listed on Samsung's website in Italy, although it looks like the reference to it has now been removed. As yet there are not many details known about what sort of functions the new Samsung Bixby virtual assistant will come with. The software will launch on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus when they are made official later this month, Samsung is also expected to bring the software to other handsets in its range in the future/. Samsung are holding a Samsung Unpacked press event on the 29th of March where they will make the new Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus official, we are also expecting them to unveil Bixby at the event.

Any great sci-fi movie has artificial intelligence (AI), but to be entertaining, a movie needs drama. So in the real world, advances in AI are less about robot overlords and more about "Siri, take me home." Below, a few members of Forbes Technology Council offer their insights on why we should all stop worrying about AI, and possibly even embrace it as the future. Pop culture always portrays AI as an attempt to reproduce human consciousness - computers becoming self-aware and then turning on their human masters. In practice, there are very few groups in academia or industry that are trying to address machine consciousness.

The Galaxy S8 should hit store shelves in April, but there's some debate as to exactly when. Samsung has confirmed it will unveil the phone at a special New York event on March 29. While the company isn't sharing many details, its invite to the event showed a silhouette of a smartphone with two small bezels at the top and bottom, suggesting the device will indeed feature a curved screen that could be substantially bigger than last year's Galaxy S7. According to a recent report from ETNews, Samsung's highly anticipated smartphone will be available for sale globally on April 21. However, a separate report from VentureBeat says the release of the Galaxy S8 has been pushed back a week to April 28.

Paralysis of choice is a real problem, and to help mitigate it, Google has updated the app formerly known as Chromecast. Next time you open Google Home, you'll see a new "Listen" tab at top of your device's screen. A post on The Keyword blog says that the idea is to pull in curated playlists from apps like Google Play Music and Spotify into one place so you always have the perfect soundtrack to beam to your connected speakers. Pandora and the semi-redundant YouTube Music apps are pulled into the fray as well. All told, it's a minor update, but it shows Google's ambitions for the app: becoming a hub for all your digital media needs.

In the beginning (1966), there was ELIZA – she was the first bot of her kind, had roughly 200 lines of code and was extremely smart. But you probably don't know her. Later, came PARRY who was smarter than ELIZA (and could imitate a paranoid schizophrenic patient). But you probably don't know PARRY either. But you do know Siri!

It's Monday morning, and you've just stepped into a driverless car with three colleagues to chair your first meeting of the day. You enter the office by placing your hand on a biometric scan, and, sensing your feelings as you start the working week, the lights and temperature are adjusted to improve your mood. Your virtual assistant orders you a coffee, which is brought to your desk by a co-bot working alongside you. This may sound like a sci-fi film, but these innovations could be coming to your workplace sooner than you think… Here, I explore the key technologies set to reshape the professional landscape by 2020, making the workplace of the future much more virtual, mobile, collaborative and flexible. Gartner predicts that 21 million new cars will be equipped with data connectivity this year alone.

Sometimes you just want to be more, well, specific. Gay dating app Grindr understands this all too perfectly, and this week released its own set of custom emoji designed to slide comfortably right into that naughty place in your texting heart. Pink News first picked up the semiotic breakthrough, and noted that there are more than just pierced aubergines to experiment with. Whether it's a cloud of raining men, a peeping eye, or a dude on a top bunk, the character set provides Grindr's mostly male user base with plenty of options to telegraph their desire. The update is not without a key bump of controversy, however, as at least one user pointed out that "T" is slang for meth.

You may want to think twice about your next search query, as Google's mobile messaging app might not keep it a secret. Allo, which includes Assistant, has been found to share people's search content in the middle of text conversations with other users. The flaw was discovered by Recode after a friend asked the bot a question, which answered with link from a previous search - but Google has since fixed the issue. Allo, which includes Assistant, has been found to share people's search content in the middle of text conversations with other users The flaw was discovered by Recode (pictured) after a friend asked the bot a question, which answered with link from a previous search Personal Assistant: Chats often involve making plans, and when this is the case Google Assistant can retrieve information on nearby restaurants, movie times and even the weather. Beyond planning, Google Assistant can give you the latest news and sports scores, translate phrases or do math calculations.

When Tag Heuer introduced its Connected smartwatch sequel, called the Connected Modular 45, early Tuesday, Intel was there to reveal it is working on a special artificially intelligent assistant for the wearable. What makes this Siri competitor special according to the chipmaker is the fact that it is genderless. Intel's New Technology Group VP Jerry Bautista said at the launch event that Intel is preparing a genderless digital assistant for the andro that will arrive later this year. Though Bautista did not expound on how this genderless nature would be possible, he did drop a few details about the AI assistant. It is said to be smart enough to adjust reminders based on the user's current activities.

It would be a bit of an understatement to simply say that technology has rapidly been improving our lives. This, of course, can be felt not only in our personal lives -- where we all now have a tiny computer in our pocket -- but also in our business. We took a look at some of the biggest UC trends for 2017, and it's pretty safe to say that all new trends are based off of new technologies. If there is one UC industry in particular that benefits directly from technology improvements, it has to be contact centers. Previously, we focused on the omnichannel experience for 2017, but modern tech looks like it will help push our centers even further.